Letters to the editor

Want to vote?
Then file a tax return

I keep reading with dismay all of Florida's problems with voting and thought I would throw a possible solution out there for consideration. If you had to file a federal tax return to have a vote (not pay taxes; just file), you would see much shorter lines and much less complaining.

It probably could eliminate early voting altogether, as most folks don't have a problem getting to the poll on voting day.

As an added benefit, think of the gasoline savings realized by not having Ion Sancho roaming around, pandering to the lowest common denominator. I did not realize that was the election supervisor's job.

Anyone can vote who is registered, and this debacle seems a little overblown. Think of it as representation without taxation. Seems like the people who pay money in are badly outnumbered by the people who vote themselves money out. While I realize the idea might require a little tweaking, it is a thought.

FRANK RATHBURN

Madison

rcforester@aol.com

Ban shark-fin soup,
save a valuable predator

Sharks are in trouble. Of the 400 or so species, about one-third are threatened, primarily due to shark finning, a cruel practice that entails catching sharks, cutting off their fins and then throwing them back in the water to die. Shark-fin soup, an Asian delicacy costing as much as $100 a bowl in the U.S. and as high as $1,000 per bowl in Hong Kong, is the end result of shark finning.

A recent DNA study of shark-fin soup in 14 U.S. cities revealed the remains of several threatened sharks. Hawaii became the first state to ban this soup, and there needs to be a federal law banning shark-fin soup in all 50 states.

Most sharks function as apex predators - they keep aquatic wildlife in balance. Back in the 1990s, declining numbers of hammerheads may have led to record numbers of stingrays off the Florida Panhandle. "It's impossible to predict the implications of removing sharks from the food chain, but it could be disastrous," says shark specialist Sonja Fordham.

Sharks are awe-inspiring animals. They were here before the dinosaurs, but they may not survive the savagery and greed of man.

BRANT R. FOSTER

gfoster@fsu.edu

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Letters to the editor

I keep reading with dismay all of Florida's problems with voting and thought I would throw a possible solution out there for consideration.